Raoiella indica (red palm mite)

USDA have produced public awareness leaflets (USDA-APHIS, 2007) highlighting the signs and symptoms to look out for and which authorities to contact in the case of the presence of the mite. Red palm mite updates and guidelines are available at http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp/ento/red_palm_mite.html.

Quarantine measures are in place to restrict the movement of infested material. For example, the movement of palm handicrafts, cut flowers, etc, in the Caribbean. In Florida, there is no longer mandatory quarantine for infested palms; however, quarantine measures are enforced if population levels increase (Bronson, 2009). Host palms originating from infested countries are not permitted entry into the USA without a phytosanitary certificate. In addition, palm handicrafts are not permitted to enter Florida.

Biological control is seen as the best way to tackle the introduction of the mite, due to its widespread presence throughout the Caribbean and now Florida and South America. Chemical control is difficult as palms can grow incredibly tall and are difficult to treat. Several routes of biological control are being investigated. Peña et al. (2009) have investigated the response of native and commercially-produced predators to the introduction of R. indica into Florida. Predator density was observed to increase 6 months after the introduction of R. indica into Florida with the most common association found to be with Amblyseius largoensis. Laboratory studies by Carrillo et al. (2010) have shown that A. largoensis can play a role in controlling R. indica in Florida, and observations from the field have shown this predator to increase in density on introduction of R. indica to the area (Peña et al., 2009). A. largoensis has been reported in association with R. indica in several of the countries where the mite is invasive, including Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago (Peña et al., 2009), and Cuba (Ramos-Lima et al., 2010).  Interest has arisen in the possibility of classical biological control due to the abundance of predators reported in the Old World. Preliminary investigations by CABI (B Taylor, CABI, 2009, personal observation) into the possibility of classical biological control have been funded by USDA. The study has looked at the abundance of predators associated with R. indica in India, and studies have confirmed that phytoseiid mites are the most commonly-occurring predator associated with the mite (species ID underway). However, suitability as biological control agents has not been investigated and further research is required before the importation of an exotic predator would be possible.

Due to the variable regulations around (de-)registration of pesticides, we are for the moment not including any specific chemical control recommendations. For further information, we recommend you visit the following resources: